Sewing-machine-needle threader.



L. O. NAYLOR. SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE THREADEB. APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1912. RENEWED NOV. 19, 1018. 1, 1 00,764.

Patented June 23, 1914.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 50.. wAsmNnToN..p. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LESTER O. NAYLOR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIG'NOB TO THE AUTOMATIC NEEDLE- THREADER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE SEWING-MACHINE-NEEDLE THREADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1914..

Application filed March 6, 1912, Serial No. 681,959. Renewed November 19, 1913. Serial No. 801,963.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnsrnn O. NAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machine Needle Threaders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to sewing machine needle threaders of the type illustrated in the patent to A. Anderson, No. 906,985, dated December 15, 1908, the objects of the present invention being to provide a device which may be more readily and securely fastened in position on the machine and with which the needle threading hook may be more readily positioned or a new hook substituted for one which has been injured or worn.

Another object of the invention is to simplify the construction and arrangement of the several parts constituting the threader device and adapt the same for being applied to a machine by those not having any high degree of mechanical skill.

The invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangement of parts, all as will be now described and pointed out particularly in the appended. claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete device ready for attachment to a sewmachine presser foot bar, the threading hook proper being elevated in substantially the position it normally occupies when not in use; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail section through the base of the needle guiding arm; Fig. 4c is a similar section through the projecting portions of the arm, on the inner side of the needle receiving enlargements, and showing between said arms a needle threading hook shank, clamped in position; Fig. 5

is an elevation of a needle threading hook constructed in accordance with the present invention but on an enlarged scale.

Like letters of reference throughout the several figures indicate the same parts.

The clamp of the device is adapted to embrace and be secured to the pressed foot bar of the machine and is formed, in the present instance, with rigid arms A. and A, which at their junction form a seat a with walls converging at an angle for one side of the presser foot bar. The arm A is of greater length than the arm A and extends around to a point substantially opposite the junction between the two arms, where it is provided with a clamping screw B, for engagement with the said bar. A space or opening is left between the free ends of the two arms of sutficient width to admit said bar, whereby the device may be readily applied and clamped in position without the necessity of removing the pressed foot or of separating any of the parts of the clamp itself. The clamp formed by the arms A A and screw, is provided with a shank A to which is pivoted at c a threader arm C, said arm being bent intermediate its ends at C so as to extend around. the fixed portion of the head of the machine, when in its inoperative position. At its extremity the arm is provided with a transverse extension 0 preferably having a fiat face and rectangular edges so as to form a guideway upon which the threader head may be mounted and clamped in adjusted position. Said threader head embodies a body portion D having a slot therein for the reception of the adjusting screw (Z and side flanges (l which embrace the transverse extension C of the arm C. The threader head is preferably formed up from sheet metal; thus, an extension of the body portion is bent upwardly, as in Fig. 1, or away from the pivot 0 of the arms and formed into two needle guiding and hook clamping arms. These arms have relatively wide bases E and narrow projecting portions E of substantially uniform width throughout, said projecting portions near their outer ends being bowed outwardly or away from each other at E to form needle receiving chambers on opposite sides of the central longitudinal plane of the arms. The extremities of the arm beyond the bowed portions E are flared outwardly or away from each other at E thereby forming a converging needle guide which will bring the parts into proper relation with the needle in the narrow throat located between the bowed portions E and extremities E The base portions E of the arms are connected by a clamping screw F preferably extending through the arms and having on .its inner end a nut G which latter is of greater width than the arms themselves and is adapted to rest against the is provided with a relatively long shank, H, Fig. 5, which is of the same width as the projecting portions E of the arms,-as-shown in Fig. 4c, and the base of the said threader hook is made relatively wide and provided with a central slot it open at one end so that the whole hook may ;be slipped into position when the clamping screw is loosened, and it maybe accuratelypositioned by making its edges register with the edges of the projecting portions E of the arms. In other words, the hook may be inserted, when held between the finger and thumb of one hand and when pushed back-to-vits seat it will be automatically positioned between the arms. In this position the hook end, indicated in Fig. ,5Vat H, is adapted to project slightly beyond-the edge of the arms whereby it will be in position to engage a thread laid across said arms within the hook in the manner described in the before mentioned Anderson patent. Inthis position the end of the hook lies in a transverse plane between the bowed portions E and the divergent extremities E of the arms, or at that point where the needle will be centered and the hook presented in proper position .to pass through the eye of the needle, as will be readily understood from Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Theadvantages of a construction in which the threading hook may be readily and accurately positioned will be appreciated when itis remembered that the hook must be exceedingly small in order to enter the eye of a fine needle, andat the same time leave sul'ficientspace for its withdrawal, carrying with it a double thickness of thethread. Be-

ing so small, it is correspondingly liable to be injured in use, and, therefore, provision must be made whereby it must be readily renewed. lVith the present construction the threader hook practically centers itself, for it is only necessary to grasp it by the edges and push it in between the guiding arms, and then clamp-saidvarms and hook together by turning the clamping screw F. The fingers grasping the edges of the shank H of the hook will form guides, as it were, positioned by the edges of the extensions E of the arms, and by making the base portion of'the hook of greater width, shoulders h" :are formed against which pressure may be exerted to force the hook back to its seat between the arms.

The hook of the threading device is adapted to pass through the eye of the needle when the latter is in its highest position,

i and should the hookbe swung down against the needle when the eye is not in position to receive it the delicate hook would be liable to be broken or bent were it not for the fact that in the present construction the outwardly bowed portions E form chambers on .each side of the hook into which the needle may pass by a very slight deflection of the point of the hook. The needle is thus prevented from wedging in between the hook and arm and no lateral pressure suilicient to give the hook a permanent bend or set will be exerted by the needle. It will be further noted that in the preferred construction the arms and hook of the threader head travel in a path radially beyond the end of the arm C, andall danger of the end of the arm striking the presser foot or goods below the presser foot is overcome.

lnnse, the device is adjusted and clamped in position so that when the needle is fully elevated the threader hook will, when swung down, pass through the eye of the needle. A thread laid across the ends of the arms beyond the needle will be caught by the hook and, upon the release of the threader head, the spring for elevating the arm will operate to draw the hook back through the eye, carrying the thread with it.

The construction and arrangement of the parts whereby the threader arms are caused to move in a path a greater distance from the axis than the end of the supporting arm is claimed in my prior application Serial No. 642,648, filed August 7, 1911.

Having thus described my invention, what. I claim as new and desire to secure by Lettors latent of the United States, is:

The herein described threader attachment for sewing machines, comprising a presser bar clamp, an arm pivotally mounted on said clamp to swing in a vertical plane and provided at its end with a transversely projecting extension, a threader head mounted on said extension and adjustable thereon parallel with the axis of the arm, said head comprising two needle guiding arms having parallel inner portions of uniform width and near their outer ends bowed outwardly to form needle receiving chambers, the extremities of the arms being spread apart to form converging needle guides with a nar row throat forward of the chambers, a threading hook having a shank of the same width as the projecting portions of the arms, a base with an open slot therein, and with its hook end terminating in the narrow throat at the base of the converging guides, and a clamping screw passing through the arms and through the open slot in the hook base.

LESTER O. NAYLOR. lVitnesses FLonnNcn D. THOMAS, C. MCDONALD.

Copies ofrthis patent ,may beobtained ,forfivecents eae11,.by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. 0. 

